New Hobart cultural precinct opens

Hobart’s new $5 million live music and cultural precinct has opened as part of the redevelopment of Hobart’s Odeon Theatre.

Known as “In the Hanging Garden”, the space also offers an outdoor dining and beer garden, rotating pop-up kitchens with local vendors, a live music venue on the ground floor of the former Tattersalls Hotel, and a nightclub on the first floor of the hotel.

Private-developer Riverlee is behind the new development, which was designed by Fender Katsalidis in collaboration with DarkLab, Mona’s subsidiary for creative projects.

“Very early in the piece, it was David Walsh who told us that culture cannot be designed or built, he said culture is created by people. We can’t control it. So rather than design a master plan, he suggested we open up the site, and invite other businesses in, letting them create their own culture,” said Riverlee development director David Lee.

A weekly market for produce and street food vendors are also in the pipeline as part of the newly-erected outdoor “Cathedral” space.

Sheridan Randall, 20^th June 2019